S C A N D A L I N S E N E G A L. The story of Joseph Odartei Lamptey

Transcription

1 S C A N D A L I N S E N E G A L The story of Joseph Odartei Lamptey

2 Ghanian national Joseph Lamptey, an "Elite" FIFA referee is appointed as match referee for World Cup 2018 qualifying match between Senegal and South Africa (SA) held on November 12, SA wins the match 2-1, courtesy of 2 goals in quick succession before the end of the first half. Of the 2 goals, 1 is a controversial penalty awarded by Lamptey in the 41st minute. SA's second goal in the 45th minute is the result of a quick restart after a foul, that catches Senegal off guard. A Senegalese goal in the 33rd minute is disallowed. Lamptey says "play had been stopped" before goal. F A C T S

3 The penalty decision is heavily protested by Senegal. In his defence, Lamptey reasons that he awarded the penalty because of a "deliberate handball" in the box by Senegalese defender Kalidou Koulibaly. TV replays do not corroborate Lamptey's reasoning. Lamptey later says that he had an "obstructed view" of the incident and called the penalty only after consultation with his assistant match referee. TV evidence shows that he made the call within seconds and could not have had any time to consult anyone. Lamptey defends the quick restart which led to the 2nd SA goal as being "out of his control". O U T C R Y

4 On November , 5 independent betting monitoring committees voluntarily alert FIFA of overwhelming evidence that indicates that the match was unduly influenced and that bettors had prior knowledge of 3 total goals being scored in the match. Early Warning System (EWS) is a separate entity created by FIFA for identifying betting irregularities. EWS's report to FIFA says it was 99.5% confident that the irregular odds movements noted in this match are statistically different from the odds movements for equivalent matches. Two other matches refereed by Joseph Lamptey also show irregular betting patterns. B E T T I N G

5 The Sengalese Football Association sends a letter to FIFA Disciplinary Committee questioning the 2 controversial refereeing decisions made by Lamptey, since South Africa scored a goal on both occasions. FIFA s Integrity Officer tasked with investigating the matter. FIFA Disciplinary Committee finds Lamptey in breach of Article 69(1) of the FIFA Disciplinary Code for "unlawfully influencing match results". He is slapped a lifetime ban from all international and national football related activities. His appeal to the FIFA Appeal Committe is also rejected. Lamptey files an appeal before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) on June 06, S A N C T I O N

6 CAS in its decision, held that: a. in order to prove guilt under Art. 69(1), 2 conditions ought to have been satisfied - 1. Existence of conspiracy; and 2. The footballing activity ought to have been "in a manner contrary to sporting ethics". b. Lamptey's refereeing decisions and justifications for the same confirmed that his decisions were taken because of a pre-meditated plan to act "in a manner contrary to sporting ethics". c. FIFA was informed "independently, spontaneously and simultaneously" by 5 separate entities of betting irregularities. On the basis of overwhelming evidence of the fact that the referee did not act alone, thereby demonstrating the existence of a conspiracy. d. Lifetime ban imposed by FIFA upheld by CAS. C A S R U L I N G

7 Pursuant to FIFA's original ruling, a replay match was conducted between Senegal and South Africa in November Senegal won the match and qualified successfully for the FIFA World Cup A F T E R M A T H

8 T H A N K Y O U! To know more about this judgment, please contact Abhimanyu Baheti at abhimanyu@gamechangerlaw.com